According to two people with knowledge of the situation, veteran small forward Dominic McGuire is likely to be released by the Raptors in order to make room for Pietrus. The Raptors (3-13) need help, and the addition of Pietrus is expected to be finalized on Friday.

The two people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

Fourth-year shooting guard DeMar DeRozan leads Toronto in scoring at 18.1 points per game, although the Raptors rank 17th in scoring at 95.9 points per game.

Pietrus played in 42 games with Boston last season and 38 games with Phoenix the season before. The career reserve who shoots with range and is a quality defender has averaged 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in his nine-year career.